European star teenager Doncic ready to try NBA
Luka Doncic is about to become an NBA player, though he’s unlike the other top prospects who will be drafted.
He’s already a pro. He’s already a champion.
And he might just be the most accomplished and intriguing player in this class.
After capping his brilliant stay in Spain with another title, the Slovenian guard heads the list of international players expected to be selected today, a teenager whose resume is already more complete than even some of the most seasoned veterans.
“He may be the most accomplished European teenager to ever come into the draft,” ESPN draft analyst Jay Bilas said. “You know, there’s very little that is unknown about him. He’s not some workout wonder that people are projecting. He’s accomplished things, and he has been seen in 5-on-5 against high-level competition for a number of years. He’s played professional basketball since he was 13.”
Doncic couldn’t join Deandre Ayton, Marvin Bagley III and the other headliners in New York on Wednesday because he was en route from Spain after finishing off his dream season by helping Real Madrid win its ACB league championship Tuesday. The 6-foot-7 guard made a 3-pointer off one leg with the shot clock running down and Real Madrid clinging to a threepoint lead, and his team held on to win the series in four games and allow him to get to Barclays Center in time for today’s festivities, rather than stay behind for a Game 5.
He had already been the MVP of both the Euroleague season and its Final Four, the youngest player ever to win both honors, as Real Madrid won that title as well.
“I’m speechless,” he told the team’s website after Tuesday’s victory. “It has been the season of my life. It’s incredible.”
The Phoenix Suns have the No. 1 pick and are widely expected to draft Arizona center Deandre Ayton, even though new coach Igor Kokoskov coached Doncic last summer on the Slovenian national team that won the nation’s first EuroBasket gold medal.
Then it’s Sacramento, Atlanta, Memphis and Dallas, and any of them could consider a player who’s only 19 but has been playing against some of the toughest competition outside the NBA for years. And while there may always be some skepticism of European players because Darko Milicic bombed so badly after being taken right behind LeBron James and ahead of Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade 15 years ago, it would be a surprise if Doncic failed after all he’s already done.
“He should easily transition to the league really well,” Miami guard Lonnie Walker IV said. “I mean, look at what he’s doing in the Euroleague. You’ve got to respect what he’s doing.”
Even with Ayton, a native of the Bahamas, and Doncic at the top of the list of international candidates, the strength of this draft is at the college level. Power programs such as Duke (Bagley and Wendell Carter Jr.), Michigan State (Jaren Jackson Jr. and Miles Bridges), national champion Villanova (Mikal Bridges and Donte DiVincenzo) and Kentucky (Kevin Knox and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) could have multiple players taken in the top 10-15 selections. YOUNG GETS CRAZY >> Going out in a blaze of glory apparently isn’t good enough for Warriors guard Nick Young, who has a crazier idea to make his championship high last.
Young, an unrestricted free agent who isn’t expected to have an encore season with the Warriors, was partying in Los Angeles on Tuesday night when he told a TMZ reporter that cocaine should be legalized.
“I want people to pass cocaine,” Young said, after being asked about the legalization of marijuana. “Everybody needs to do cocaine!”
And we thought Young was being reckless when he got a huge neck tattoo during the NBA Finals?
Young tried to set the record straight Wednesday morning, saying he was just kidding around.
The Warriors declined to comment on Young’s actions. The NBA had no response as of Wednesday afternoon.
HORNETS AGREE TO TRADE HOWARD TO NETS >> The Charlotte Hornets have agreed to trade eight-time All-Star center Dwight Howard to the Brooklyn Nets for center Timofey Mozgov and two secondround draft picks, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press.
The Hornets will get the Nets’ second-round pick tonight (45th overall) and a second-round pick in 2021, the person said. The teams have not announced the trade, and the league cannot approve the deal until the trade moratorium ends on July 6.
The 32-year-old Howard played only one season for Charlotte, averaging 16.6 points and 12.5 rebounds per game. He is due to make $23.8 million this season, the final year of his contract.